


come morning light

by irieora



Series: wilting roses [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A reflection on how each character responds and how they view their relationship with Keith, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Post-Episode: s02e08 The Blade of Marmora, Season 4 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 05:59:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12698835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irieora/pseuds/irieora
Summary: In the aftermath of Keith's death, the team tries to put themselves back together.





	come morning light

Some would assume Allura would handle the news better since she’s lost so much already. Despite losing many others, such as her father and mother along with the rest of her people, it never got easier.

 

As Allura was looking for a proper dress to wear to the reception, she decided to sort look through her mother’s closet. Each of the dresses was made of fine fabrics and was soft as she sorted through them. She wanted the color Lance called pink on Earth. Her mother often wore that color to commemorate fallen soldiers.

 

She would like to blame Kolivan and the rest of the Blade, but they were losing members every day in war. It was expected to have some losses. The battle of Naxzela wasn’t won without losing a third of the coalition. And in winning, they regained control of over a third of Zarkon’s empire.

 

But Keith, he was part of their team. He was family.

 

They shared meals together and she fought alongside him. When their minds were joined when Voltron was formed, Allura could feel his dreams, hopes, doubts, and fears. He comforted her when she had to leave behind the other reality where Altea still existed.

 

In many ways, they were the same. They had no other family else besides the people on the ship. He wanted to end Zarkon’s reign almost as passionately as she did. She didn’t argue with his choice to join the Blade because Keith did what he felt was right for the war.

 

The schedule conflicts were frustrating. He had the potential to be a good leader. When Keith left, she was glad he wouldn’t be stretched so thin.

 

She remembered when they escaped together in fear Zarkon was tracking them. Allura didn’t have a plan for what they would do if it was through them. But she felt safe with Keith. She could rely on him and they would have each other’s backs.

 

When they returned from the Blade’s hideout and discovered he was part Galra, it felt as if the universe betrayed her. Allura didn’t associate him with the Galras who destroyed everything she held dear now. Still, she regretted blaming him for the pain Zarkon’s inflicted on her.

 

She was worried they would never connect the same way after. But Keith forgave her and understood where she was coming from.

 

Allura blinked, noticing she was crying and wiped her face. Perhaps she should finish searching tomorrow.

 

**

 

Hunk doesn’t offer to cook. He didn’t miss meals of course but he spent his extra time looking over the equipment and with the Yellow lion. He was currently in the Yellow lion’s hangar looking over new information about the next mission. The air felt cold.

 

It was hard to be around others when they’re expecting him to joke so things can feel normal again. Stress eating or stress cooking usually relaxed him, but even the spices in the food left him empty.

 

When his grandfather died, Hunk helped prepare food for his relatives and was in charge of catering. People forgot to eat a lot when grieving. The reception would need catering, but he didn’t want to offer his services. He didn’t feel like thinking about food. He was glad that Coran was picking up his slack. That man was touchy about his cooking. Hunk had a lot on his mind. The goo’s blandness helped him think about his family and how they’d get through this war in one piece.

 

They could all die at any moment. Hunk just always thought it’d be him first. He wasn’t the best fighter and felt nervous battling.

 

He remembered meeting him at the Garrison. The first thing Hunk noticed was how scrawny Keith was and the uniform he wore too stiff. Lance complained for days about how arrogant his rival was, but after seeing Keith in person he just looked so lonely. He ate alone and didn’t interact with anyone in classes aside from group work.

 

Sure that could be rationalized with his cold attitude and dismissing it as working poorly with others. After knowing Keith since they’ve been in space, Keith never failed to crack a smile at his jokes. Keith loved his cooking. He didn’t underestimate Hunk as an opponent. He helped Hunk with defensive stances and encouraged him along with the rest of the team.

 

Hunk joked about Keith being Galra, but he didn’t hate him for it. He didn’t have a choice in who his parents were. He wasn’t raised Galra and didn’t follow Zarkon. This was why Hunk stood up for Keith when Allura began sending him cruel glares. Treating him like that for something he couldn’t control was unfair.  

 

And after learning Keith died? Well, Hunk cried for hours. Even in his alone time thinking about it made him want to cry again.

 

If they planned new strategies and created new weapons then maybe they could finish this endless war. That was the least he could do. And maybe then he wouldn’t have to have anyone else die.

 

**

 

Matt never said anything when they snuck into his room for bed the past few days. He looked lost in his own thoughts about Keith’s death. Pidge still had to search for their Dad, but at least they had Matt to help him.

 

Pidge didn’t subscribe to any religion. Dead meant dead in all forms. Science and math were the only things logical. Still, if the Olkari believed they were all made up of the same cosmic dust would it be wrong to believe that something happened to you when they died? That Keith was out there somewhere?

 

The memory of holding Te'Osh as she died was burned into their memory along with Matt’s tombstone. It was a brutal wake-up call of the realities of war. Reading Matt’s tombstone and seeing hundreds more had been devastating. The memorial statues did nothing to alleviate the loss.

 

People died every day, but they didn’t have to.

 

There had always been the worry that their Dad and Matt might be dead, but there was never enough evidence to prove otherwise. The trail had gone cold multiple times, but Pidge always held onto hope. Matt assured Pidge that their father was safe on a planet away from Zarkon’s empire through intel he had with the rebel alliance. The only problem was tracking where their Dad went after he escaped.

 

It could have easily been Matt dying alone in the arena but it wasn’t. Yet he could still be next. Keith joining the growing list of fallen soldiers proved that.

 

They heard about Keith not by name, but as a previous fighter pilot who Lance constantly complained about and Iverson compared all other pilots to. After meeting Keith and seeing how the name lived up to the legacy, the one they could see that he had an innate talent. A talent that extended farther than simply being part alien.

 

They talked after the night Sendak attacked the castle. He apologized but understood where Pidge was coming from. Keith still stood firm on his position of Pidge staying with the team but was glad to have them on their team voluntarily. Pidge respected that. Not that they were planning on leaving after that. The team was much stronger together.

 

They had the same drive of stopping Zarkon. He fought with the Garrison for the lack of answers surrounding the Kerberos mission. Keith dropped out because of that and it was luck he felt the energy of the blue lion.

 

Since Keith's favorite thing to do was train, they trained together. They went over strategies and combat techniques. There were jokes about how emo Keith was. Keith was moody but was also warm. They liked teasing him that he probably listened to emo songs and Keith took it all in stride.

 

Keith wasn't like Hunk or Lance who were easy to read and great to be around for a good time. Pidge liked him all the same.

 

**

 

The other members allowed him on the ships while Lotor fed them inside information. He had his own plans of course with the rift at Daibazaal. They didn’t trust him and kept him locked out of parts of the castle. It was troublesome, but a smart move.

 

Lotor didn’t know who he was saving when he blasted Haggar’s ship. He did that so they had grounds to negotiate with him. Saving one of theirs also meant that they owed him a favor. Lotor respected the former paladin’s fighting tactics. They were the same. Both part Galra. Both abandoned. He knew the last part just by the way Keith held himself.

 

Most of the Blade wore their masks to secure their identities around him. Keith was the only one who didn’t wear one around him. The height gave him away.

 

Lotor liked taunting him during the video calls he had with the other paladins. They reminded him of his own team that betrayed him, which made getting a rise out of them so much sweeter. Nothing serious where their alliance could break, but enough of a problem where they couldn’t tolerate his presence. He sometimes watched in secret still.  

 

That was why it was such a disappointment learning the boy wasn’t apart of the team. And then learning he was dead? That was a waste.

 

Still, Lotor wished he could have gotten to know that paladin more. He would choose to keep quiet as the reception for fallen warriors proceeded.

 

He didn't want to end up getting hit again and risk their alliance. The other paladins were so emotional it almost reminded him of Galra.

 

**

 

Coran decided to take up cooking since Hunk and the others were stressed with the loss of Keith. They didn’t appreciate his cooking.

 

They lost others every day. Since they had been asleep while other Alteans died, Coran and Allura never had to bury their dead. Losing King Alfor’s memories felt like losing King Alfor all over again.

 

He didn’t feel the same anger Allura did when learning of Keith’s origins or feel the same distrust of the Blade’s members. Coran remembered kind and merciful Galras. He had friends who were Galra that saved his life many times over. Despite being a militarized empire, they had just as many festivals and holidays before the wartime consumed them.

 

Before Zarkon became who he was now, King Alfor trusted his life to Zarkon which was why he was made the head of Voltron.

 

Keith was number four since he was the shortest after Pidge who was number five. He didn’t change their numbers despite the additional heads on the castleship and Keith leaving to join the Blade.

 

He was a quiet kid, but he listened to Coran’s stories just as eagerly as the rest of the team. He was a good sport and helped Coran clean when he had a lot on his mind. These were chores everyone had.

 

Sometimes, he wished these humans were never involved with the war. The help was appreciated, but they were much too young in Altean deca-phoebs. Even in Earth deca-phoebs. However, the Galra would wage war with the entire galaxy and they too would lose their family and friends.

 

Coran missed Altea. Having the other paladins around numbed his longing and brought him joy in learning all of the odd Earth customs. Keith and the other paladins were like a second family.

 

He lowered the setting on the stove. The food should be ready now for the reception. He placed some of it into the refrigerator and another serving for dinner.

 

Maybe he should share his Altean alcohol at the reception since they didn't appreciate the nunvil. Poor tastes humans seemed to have.

 

**

 

Shiro had given him the team the week off (minus emergency distress calls). When Lance saw Kolivan in person, he yelled at the Galra for a half hour. It probably would have gone on longer if someone hadn’t noticed. Kolivan looked almost regretful. Good. He should be ashamed. Lance personally found it hard to tell the emotions each Galra had sometimes with their pupils.

 

Lance took it upon himself to clean up the rest of the stuff in Keith’s room. There wasn’t much in it, but they did launch into space with nothing except the clothes on their backs. It was kind of shocking considering Lance had been gathering souvenirs from the places they visited.  

 

He didn’t mind cleaning up though since he couldn’t keep still after learning the news. It helped keep his mind busy.

 

As he sorted through the box of clothes, Lance spotted Keith’s jacket. His ridiculous jacket. The red and white one that only went to his waist and worked only for stylistic purposes. It smelled mostly of detergent since Keith normally wore the Blade’s uniform.

 

Despite being the Red Paladin now and his lion switch with Allura, Lance still wore his Blue Paladin armor. He doesn’t ask if they’ll preserve Keith’s armor. No one questioned the armor they wore now belonged to the previous paladins who died (with the exception of Zarkon of course since that fucker was still alive).

 

At least with Keith’s ridiculous jacket, he’d have something that belonged to him. Something to remember him by.

 

He couldn't hold onto that jacket forever. Someone would notice it was missing.

 

They weren't even technically friends. Lance shook his head at those negative thoughts. Logically they were, but he can't help but feel they could have been more than almost friends and almost family. Keith supported him when he told him his fears. In return, Lance also supported Keith as Black Paladin and when he decided to join the Blade.

 

He never knew what to say during those video calls. Thanks for giving me your spot on the team? Shiro never looked to him for advice or as support as he did to Keith. Lance tried to make jokes about the team not needing him, but that comment didn’t even give him a scowl. He missed their bickering.

 

And instead of Keith, they had Lotor, who Lance couldn’t stand. Matt joined also, but he normally didn’t stay long.

 

Keith didn’t have to tell him that he had no one waiting for him at home. Sure, Keith talked about searching for his family after they brought down Zarkon’s empire, but he didn’t seem all that hopeful or interested. There was no mistaking the quality of the shack he stayed in after leaving the Garrison. If there was anyone out there who gave a fuck they wouldn’t have left him alone there.

 

Lance sighed into the jacket. He missed when things were much simpler.

 

**

 

Matt stayed on the castleship for the reception. Coran showed him the guest rooms and told him he could pick any room since there were so many. None of the rooms had windows, which was why he was in the command room. Often when Matt had moments to himself, he took the chance to look at space’s many beauties. The asteroids and alien life were things he dreamed of when at the Garrison. Things Keith and Shiro dreamed of too.

 

He remembered teasing Shiro about the boy who followed him around the garrison. Matt nicknamed him Shiro’s shadow.  Keith had the potential to be as great a pilot as his friend. Possibly even greater.

 

When Pidge told him of the events that lead the team to that side of the galaxy, Matt was surprised to find he was part Galra. There was always something otherworldly about the kid.

 

A normal reaction should have been anger or fear of his friend, but he still remembered boy’s soft laughs and grins. Late nights they shared staying at Shiro’s apartment playing video games and marathoning movies.

 

It was pleasant seeing him again. Hearing him again. Having Keith, Shiro, and Pidge around made things feel at home again. The only missing link was Matt’s father and being actually back on Earth. However, they had a war to win and without Voltron who would accomplish that.

 

Matt thought Shiro had died at the arena. Keith had too many near-death escapes and it had finally caught up with him.

 

He remembered screaming into the communicators as Keith was going to sacrifice himself. And now that he was actually gone, Matt didn’t know what to do. He had lost many allies in the battle, but Keith was someone from before everything went to shit.

 

Shiro was pulling further away from the team despite keeping a calm front in front of them. Pidge spent multiple nights in his room at the castle. He didn’t have the nerve to tease them. These reactions were normal, but Matt felt helpless watching them.

 

He glanced at the time and decided to head to his room. Pidge needed him. Even if they made it out of this war alive nothing would be the same. For better or worse.

 

**

 

The only thing that was salvaged was the knife. That damn knife. Shiro had the urge to toss the knife into the abyss of space. But a sentimental part of him wanted to hold on to it and treasure it as one of the last things Keith left behind.

 

They couldn't even have a proper funeral, but they were holding a reception to honor him. Which was more than what most Blade members were offered. Shiro slumped onto his bed since pacing around with a weapon was dangerous. He was supposed to speak at the reception. The team looked to him to be strong and yet he couldn’t even compose himself.

 

His trouble sleeping had worsened. When Shiro could sleep, he dreamed of Keith. The dreams were always murky where Keith’s sad violet eyes watched him. Sometimes he spoke and said that Shiro betrayed him. One dream that kept recurring was of the pair in Keith’s cabin in the middle of nowhere. Sharing several blankets, they were on top of the roof gazing at the stars. They both had wrinkles littered on their faces and hands. Keith would grin and tell him everything would be alright.

 

It was a beautiful and terrible lie.

 

Lance offered to clear out Keith’s room, but since Keith had few possessions it’s hard to say who should get what to hold on to so they can remember him. No one had claimed anything yet.

 

The knife won’t activate for Shiro since he wasn’t part Galra but still functioned like a normal weapon in its smaller form. The hilt was worn and there were a few scratch marks, but the blade’s sharpness and gleam showed how well loved it was.  

 

Out of everyone on the ship, Shiro knew Keith the longest. The Garrison allowed teenagers and adults to enlist for school and space exploration. He was small and thin when they met before he managed to eat properly. Aside from how jittery he was, what stuck out most when Shiro was trying to befriend Keith was his glares of distrust and sadness. Keith who confided him about his fears during the Garrison and who Shiro, in turn, leaned on for support. They both wanted to make their families proud.

 

And when Keith’s father fell ill and passed, Shiro went with him to the funeral. Helping him as he had planned a funeral service and scrounge up money to even pay for it. Keith rarely spoke of his mother. She might as well have been dead. From what Shiro knew, she was the owner of the knife he held now and ditched her family a long time ago. He lent Keith one of his old suits from when he was younger that might still fit him.

 

Keith didn’t cry easily, his eyes were rimmed red though, and he held onto Shiro throughout the service. His father had barely seen him off to the Garrison. Shiro promised him then that he’d never be alone again. He broke that promise many times over.

 

He deserved a proper eulogy.

 

The flowers they chose were red since Keith loved those flowers the most at his father’s funeral. The red roses, red hydrangeas, red tulips, and especially red poppies. Most of them would die within a week of being cut. Keith kept them in vases and planted the bulbs of the tulips. Some of the other flowers were made into bracelets or pressed into textbooks. It was fate that Keith loved the color red and was the Red Paladin. Since they couldn’t have Earth flowers they settled for red flowers from an alien planet that resembled them. The Olkari assured them the shipment would be on time.

 

Shiro’s grip loosened and the knife fell on the sheets next to him. He picked up his notes, trying to gather his thoughts for the speech, and ignore his shaking hands. If only flowers lasted forever.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to those who encouraged me to write another part of the story. Your lovely comments helped me finish.


End file.
